#5 RW

Think back on our game of Diplomatic Risk. What resources or opportunities would you have needed in order to fulfill your objectives? What difference would those resources or opportunities have made?

            In order to fulfill my personal objective in Diplomatic Risk, I would have needed aid from certain opportunities and resources. I concluded the game with seven states, primarily in North America and two in Asia. My objective was to obtain 10 states at any given time. After I initiated a schism due to religious matters and my conflicting goal from my former Head of State, I began colonizing with five states, one city, and no resources. This situation bestowed me 3 reinforcements per turn causing my armies to grow slowly. Since my goal was to take over foreign territories and expand my religious messages, my meager armies inhibited me from achieving my goal.

            If I were to have another city or resource to contribute one extra army to my territories per turn I wouldn’t have been able to invade quicker to accomplish my objective. The opportunity to invade my ally blue instead of my enemies green and red would have easily allowed me to obtain three more states leading to the completion of my goal. The combination of extra resources and ability to attack blue would have permitted me to push my armies through Iceland, Scandinavia, and Ukraine’s weak armies effortlessly. I should not have wasted a turn in a diplomacy meeting declaring war with green because attacking blue was a much simpler option to reach my specific goal more efficiently. I also should not have been at war with red because I know they have the power of “sabotage” and could have diminished my army in a single turn. These two unnecessary wars caused me to lose excessive amounts of armies per turn that could have otherwise been avoided.

            In conclusion, I believe that this game of diplomatic risk was to simulate the limitations of diplomacy. Each of the six teams had conflicting goals and interests. Each team was indisposed to arrange agreement or compensate one another. This was because we each placed the advancement of our states and governmental systems ahead of the benefit of humanity unanimously; thus, causing several wars and allowing vicious motives to override the importance of living harmoniously with one another as described in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.